Nature of the Game
by Ajora
Summary: Ryo gets lost in time and talks with an old acquaintance, which should have been done a long time ago. Events avalanche from there BT to DT transitional fic. Complete
1. Wolf In Sheep's Clothing

Nature of the Game  
Disc 1: Wolf In Sheep's Clothing  
-by Ajora Fravashi

*Disclaimer - I don't own Digimon. Toei/Bandai does. Bandai is also responsible for some really questionable lines from Millenniumon that spawned this fic. This is all their fault!  
*Note: Takes place during the game Brave Tamer.

* * *

A vast network of silver threads stretched out below him, contrasting sharply against the infinite black void. He could not see an end to the network, or to the void. He could not see any differences between individual threads, nothing for his eyes to anchor to. No smells, no sound, no sensation of feeling or orientation. Nothing other than sight. It was starting to scare him.

He remembered how he got into this predicament, at least. That memory was more tangible than his own past. He had entered the ENIAC's transdimensional gate and was sent on his way through time. During a normal time-hop there was the sensation of everything coming to a grinding halt, then his senses blocked out completely. They would then all return in a dizzying rush just before he hit his destination. This time had been different. Everything stopped and his senses had been blocked, as was expected, but then something jerked him out of the endless nanosecond and his senses ripped open. He watched wide-eyed as billions of threads whirled around him at a sickeningly rapid pace, catching glimpses of what-if, what-was and what-may-be. So many threads branched out and then merged back together, then repeated the process so often that he could hardly keep track. Then he blinked, and found himself hovering above the infinite tapestry.

Frowning, he tried once again to find a divergence in the infinite sameness that he could use as an anchor. Nothing. Ryo smothered a rising sense of panic. How the hell was he supposed to get back? More to the point, how was he going to get anywhere anyway? And where was Monodramon? The little dragon would at least have an idea since he had spent most of his life in front of the ENIAC and likely might have known what to do in situations like this.

Time passed as Ryo mulled over his current situation. The sound of an old car coming to a halt interrupted his train of thought. Ryo blinked in surprise and the void collapsed. It left him standing on a sidewalk overlooking a cobblestone street lit by a single antique street lamp and littered with rubble that hinted at a war. With a noise that was half a sigh of relief and half a hum of curiosity, he glanced about for the car. It idled behind him, paused on an adjacent street: an old black car of a foreign design he couldn't identify. Yeah, like he could recollect anything from before meeting Monodramon anyway. Its occupant was a man taller than himself by at least a head, dark of hair and even darker of skin. The imagery of inky shadows made flesh was amplified by the fact that the man wore nothing but black and deep blues. Dark shades hid the man's eyes, but Ryo _knew_ the man was staring at him and it felt kind of creepy.

A corner of the man's lips curled into an almost undetectable smirk as Ryo's eyes fell upon him. His voice was a deep, rich bass that sounded rather odd. It was almost as if there were two voices speaking, but the syntax was too perfect to be anything but one. What startled Ryo though were the words. "Hey pretty."

Blinking at that, Ryo looked around to see if there was someone he hadn't noticed there before. No one. Then the guy in the car must have been addressing him. Even more creepy. "Hi," he started tentatively, unsure of whether he should be talking to this disturbing individual at all. "Where are we?"

"It doesn't particularly matter. But if you must, we are in Berlin, Germany. It is 1946," the dark man stated. Ryo blinked blankly. Was that supposed to mean anything to him? 1946 was the date Monodramon gave him when they first met, but Monodramon said he was from several decades in the future, which confused him to no end. But maybe the guy might know how to get him back to the ENIAC.

Well, no harm in trying. "Ah. Hey, do you know how to get to one of the ENIAC's dimension gates?"

The dark man leaned back into his seat and pulled off his shades to reveal uncannily familiar crimson eyes. He gave Ryo an uncomfortably intense once-over and looked quite pleased with what he saw. The lips parted in a predatory smile, revealing canines sharp enough to be fangs and were just a few millimeters longer than a normal human's. "I could take you to one, for a price."

A chill crept up Ryo's spine at that. Something within him was screaming that he really should run as far away from this stranger as soon as possible, but he had no other way to get back to the ENIAC. "What's the price?"

"Simply to hear me out, Ryo. That is all." With that, the man reached over to open the door on the passenger side of the car. When Ryo remained still, the man spoke again. "Don't you wanna take a ride with me?"

Ryo glanced around, his vision limited by night's darkness to whatever the street lamp would reveal. There were _things_ skittering beyond the lamp's circle of light, large things that whispered and groaned in a language he didn't understand. Maybe it would be a good idea to go with the man after all.

Stepping into the car on the left side, Ryo noted the dark red of the leather seats and the ebony stain of the wooden paneling. It was a nice car, though different from the few he could faintly remember. For the life of him, he couldn't remember any that had a little woman with arms stretched behind her as a hood ornament.

"Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith, 1946 model" the dark man offered, with just the sort of mild boredom one hears from the very wealthy when discussing their toys. "Had the colors specified to my tastes."

Ryo was puzzled at that. How had the man known what was on his mind? "Oh. How did...?"

The dark man tucked his shades into a pocket before revving up the engine. As the engine turned over, he deigned to answer Ryo. "I know you well. I have watched you for a good part of my life."

Logically he should have been more freaked out than he was by this stranger's statement, but then he remembered nothing of his own past. Maybe this was simply someone he knew once. With a mournful sigh at how much he had lost, he made himself comfortable in the seat and watched as the car drove down dark streets. Gravel and other things that Ryo refused to think about crunched under the car's wheels.

"So, what's your name?"

The dark man tore his eyes from the road to regard Ryo with an expression the boy couldn't quite read. "I am the Shadow to your Light. Surely that alone would be sufficient enough."

After a moment of fruitlessly raking his mind in an attempt to find a memory to associate to the dark man, Ryo simply shrugged. "Sorry, I don't remember."

"Well," the dark man began as a delighted smirk drew across his features. "Call me Azaziel then, dear boy. I consider the sobriquet more fitting than my original name."

"Oh." Ryo wasn't sure why, but he really didn't like that smirk any more than he liked the fact that "Azaziel" didn't give his real name. However, he did sort of get himself into this mess. He peered closely at the stranger's face and was taken aback by what he saw. Azaziel's skin was a very dark bluish-grey, with two solid black stripes per cheek drawing from the cheekbones to under the shirt's collar. Shaggy, dark blue hair framed the stranger's face. "You're not human, are you? I've never seen anyone with your markings..."

Those creepy crimson eyes drifted from the road for the moment to glance back at him before the smirk turned into a factitious grin. "Always the clever one. No, this body is only a temporary construct to house a spirit that no longer has a body of its own."

Something's wrong, a voice at the back of Ryo's mind whispered. If nothing else, he should know who this person was. Yet no memory came forward with an answer, nothing he could use to gain better understanding of what was really going on. He hated this.

Azaziel took the silence as an invitation and grasped the opportunity to proceed. "Tell me, why do you fight?"

"Huh?" Ryo tore his eyes from the road and blinked quizzically at the stranger, who had since returned his attention to the darkness beyond the car's headlights. "What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I said. Why do you fight?"

"Oh, well, because the ENIAC and Monodramon asked me to. They said I was the only one who could help save the Digital World and they sounded really desperate. They also offered to help me regain my memories, so I didn't see why I shouldn't help." Ryo finished with a half-smile, which faded when he saw a frown deepening on Azaziel's face. He didn't know what was wrong about his answer. Helping others was a good thing, right?

"No other reason, then?"

Sighing, Ryo glanced back at the darkened streets. "Not really. They tell me what to do, and I do it because it's the right thing to do. Unless it's wrong, but they never ask me to do something that goes against my morals."

"So you're just being a good little soldier and following orders," Azaziel responded with a subtly mocking tone in his voice. "A good little soldier fighting for truth, justice, and the Japanese way."

Part of Ryo wanted to react indignantly against the dark man's words, but as much as he wanted to deny it, the man was probably right. Instead, he simply gave a noncommittal grunt in hopes that he would just be left alone.

However, the dark man was not to allow him reprieve. "But who defines justice, dear boy? Those more powerful than yourself? Who is it that defines right and wrong?"

Ryo blinked blankly at that. He didn't know how to respond, for he had never truly thought about it before. "Uhm, well, society I guess."

"In your own culture, school children are reprimanded for trying to be different. A child who dyes his hair a color he wasn't born with is slapped by his teacher for trying to stand out against the mundane. Is this fair?"

"No, but-"

"But your society does not do anything against this. Turn the other cheek and maybe the problem will go away. It is not right but your people do it anyway. Shall I tell you a story of those values you hold so highly, dear boy?"

"If there's time," Ryo said as he glanced back at the road. There wasn't much revealed beyond the car's headlights, it was as if they were driving through some great black void with only a cobbled street as its occupant. He briefly wondered if this story would make him more uncomfortable than he was already, but he did say he'd listen.

Azaziel smirked. "Time is always on my side. But, to continue...

"Once upon a time there was a young boy who was alone. His parents moved around quite a bit, you see, and he rarely had time to form long-lasting friendships. But despite his loneliness he was friendly to all, regardless of what others may have done in the past. He was a good little boy to his parents and did as they asked of him. He liked it when things made sense and, despite his love of games, was firmly grounded in reality.

"Then one day he was dragged to another world. This place was so surreal that he had a hard time trying to accept it. But it was just as real as his own. He was then led to a hierophant who easily won his trust and set him on a quest to stop an opposing force from gaining what it was searching for."

"That doesn't sound so bad," Ryo offered, then froze as the dark man glared sharply at him for interrupting. When he shut his mouth, Azaziel proceeded.

"There's always three sides to everything, dear boy. Your side, their side, and the truth of the matter. For as long as that boy was on his quest, he had only been told one side of the matter and never considered the other aspects of what was going on. Think of this, Ryo. Entire wars have been staged throughout history because one side thought they were the only ones that were right. Crusades, jihads, inquisitions and genocides... all because all sides thought they were the only ones who could pass judgment on others. People have died from that belief of self-righteousness. This boy too had been led to believe that his masters were the only ones who could judge others, and great mistakes have been made because of this.

"He was beautiful before they laid their hands on him, so very trusting and wouldn't hurt a fly. But they turned him into a ruthless soldier that obeyed only them. He had been taught that sacrifices for the greater good was quite acceptable, never mind the fact that such sacrifices could take the lives of others. Extreme situations call for extreme measures, he was told."

Something nagged at the back of Ryo's mind. Whether it was a sense of guilt or something else, he couldn't guess. Azaziel was looking at him now, probably expecting a response or something. He shrugged as he attempted to bury that nagging sensation. "Yeah, that's not very fair to his opponents."

Azaziel closed his eyes briefly before continuing. "In that world, people had guardian spirits. Watchers. This boy too had a Watcher, but that fact was hidden from him by his masters. They feared that once he joined with his Watcher, he would realize his true power and break away from them. Instead they allowed him the company of other spirits that would never stay around for long. Each time he had gotten close to those spirits, they would go back to their own humans and leave him alone. He was always alone, through no fault of his own."

"What happened to his Watcher," Ryo asked softly. Azaziel's face was tense, as if he was firmly trying to hold in a strong emotion.

"His Watcher," the dark man replied in a tone heavy with bitterness, "was the very being his masters had set him out to destroy."

There was silence for a while as the car drove down the strangely straight cobbled street. Ryo didn't know how to respond. From what he could gather, this was a personal account of Azaziel's, but he failed to see what the point was in telling a total stranger like him.

"They trained the boy into believing that this Watcher was evil and that evil must be vanquished at all costs. But what defines evil? Evil, and history, is defined by those who win the wars. What I admire about your kind is the hypocrisy, the ability to blame others for their own mistakes. Let's say there's a powerful, rich child called Karimea. This child sticks her nose into the business of others without being invited to do so, she swaggers onto the playground and bestows gifts to the less fortunate."

Ryo was confused now. He didn't know where Azaziel was going with this, but mentally shrugged. Just humor the weirdo, he told himself, and hope that Azaziel didn't expect much in the way of response.

"Karimea's gifts are weapons and things that can be used as weapons. One child pushes down another and, thrilled by its newfound power, bullies another. The other children ally themselves to each other and wage war on him and his friends. When the war is over, the bully is forced to make reparations. He is demonized and shunned by the other children in the playground, but who is it that was truly responsible? Not Karimea, they all said, though she was the one who gave the gift of weapons and she was ultimately responsible for them."

Sighing, Ryo finally responded. "So what's the point of this?"

"The point is that the nature of good and evil is subjective. Those who win the wars are the ones who point the fingers at the losers and say that _they_ are the evil ones, that it was _their_ fault that the wars were waged. Rarely do people realize that the situation is always a lot more complex than just who's right and who's wrong, or who's good and who's evil."

"And how does this apply to the previous story?"

"Simple," Azaziel stated as if it really was, though with all the loops and leaps in the dark man's tale, it was anything but simple to Ryo. "The boy's masters had told him that the Watcher was evil, and the boy was never taught to think beyond his orders. He had never been taught to question 'right' and 'wrong', to view things in an objective manner. He had never been taught that there is no true judge, that justice is only what one makes of it. When he learns this, then his Watcher will claim him."

Ryo was somewhat uncomfortable with that prospect, but he didn't know exactly why. A sense that something was off nagged at the back of his mind and warned him that he shouldn't be too sympathetic. And there was something else more elusive drifting under the conscious thoughts. It was a memory that evaded him, and he felt it was important somehow. Unfortunately, he could not grasp the full importance or the details quite yet. Was it connected to Azaziel somehow? And that thing about Azaziel "claiming" someone, he couldn't help but wonder what it was supposed to mean to him.

Glancing over at the dark man, Ryo noticed something changed in Azaziel's features. It was as if some weight lifted from the dark man's shoulders, and the reason for the story told was to still some inner torment Ryo couldn't guess at.

"What do you plan to do once you confront Millenniumon again," Azaziel asked after a few moments of silence. Ryo blinked in surprise at the question that seemed to come out of nowhere and noticed that the dark man's crimson eyes were fixed on him.

"Um, well, I'm not sure yet..." Ryo's voice trailed off and he blinked curiously at the dark man. That nagging sensation was growing, but the reason behind it was still eluding him. "Guess I'll know when I get there."

Much to Ryo's surprise, Azaziel's fingers trailed the line of his jaw in an almost tender gesture. Part of Ryo wanted to jerk away, and deep inside there was another part that was fixed in place with curiosity at what was going to happen next.

"Remember what I said then, lonely soldier boy."

Before Ryo could respond, the dark man yanked him close and planted a rough kiss on his lips. Ryo's eyes widened in shock at what was going on. He wasn't given the opportunity to struggle, and it was over before he could pull himself away. He was too dazed to notice immediately when Azaziel grinned and pointed at the circle of bluish white light that marked one of ENIAC's dimensional gates.

"I give you a choice now, dear boy. We can continue this or you can leave and we will not cross paths again for a while. If you choose the latter, all I have left to say is that no one is exactly as they appear."

.~*~.

Monodramon was frantic. Well, more so than usual. He paced the metallic floor before the ENIAC's dais and wrung his little steel-plated fingers in distress. He had lost Ryo on their latest time jump, and the ENIAC had yet to pinpoint Ryo's location. Ryo could quite literally be in any time, anywhere, and Monodramon did not want to think about how much processing power the ENIAC was dedicating to the search for Ryo. He should have been more perceptive, should have noticed when Ryo wasn't behind him anymore. This wasn't the most distressing thing either. The ENIAC was silent and unresponsive to his queries. Monodramon didn't like that at all, especially since the ENIAC had always catered to his curiosity before and he hated when he couldn't find out what was going on to make the ENIAC so quiet.

There was a sudden brightening in the ball of swirling light that the ENIAC manifested itself as in the Digital World. Monodramon looked up in surprise as steam curled from the seams of the doorway to other times and dimensions slowly. The doors parted and Ryo stepped out of the portal. Ryo looked as if nothing happened, but there was a subtle scent that hung on was a scent that Monodramon had come to recognize only on those who had spent a significant amount of time around _that_ digimon...

Ryo cocked his head curiously as he watched Monodramon's jaw clench and unclench soundlessly. It looked like the little dragon _ wanted_ to say something to him, but couldn't. Maybe if Ryo pressed on the matter a bit Monodramon might say what was on his mind.

"Monodramon, is there something you want to ask?"

A faint darkening under the scales were the only indication Ryo had that he had touched on something the little dragon wasn't comfortable with. Monodramon simply shook his head and looked desperately at the ENIAC as if making a silent plea that the Creator would intervene.

_"Ryo,"_ the disembodied voice of the ENIAC began. Ryo unconsciously straightened as the Digital World's founder addressed him. _Lonely soldier boy_, Azaziel had called him. It fit. _"I need to discuss something with Monodramon. Please stay with Jijimon until I call you again."_

With a nod, Ryo turned on his heels and proceeded to the door that led out of the ENIAC's chamber. He didn't know what was going on, but he had his orders and he could always ask Monodramon about it later. Before he crossed the threshold, the ENIAC reminded him not to let personal matters interfere with his duties. He waved off the comment and trotted to the primitive world outside.

A small, nearly inaudible whimper escaped Monodramon's snout. "I should have stayed closer to him. He knows, doesn't he?"

The ENIAC was silent, as if deep in thought. Then, after a minute, responded with a question of its own. _"Your senses are acute, child. What was different about him?"_

"Mi- Millenniumon's scent. Subtle but there, and I know he wasn't fighting without me. Do you think he'll abandon us?"

_"Millenniumon would not tell him outright. This is but a game to him, and to reveal such a thing so soon would give Ryo an unfair advantage. No, Ryo will continue to fight. What Ryo does with the hints given to him is up to him alone."_ There was the silence again as the light swirled in an almost mesmerizing manner. _"However, I suspect that with Millenniumon's direct interference, we have a new weapon on our hands."_

"H'how do you figure that? Wouldn't this make it easier to lose Ryo to that ba- bastard?" Monodramon paused and mentally swore to himself as his small stuttering problem reared its ugly head. It always did this when he was nervous. "We c- c- can't lose him."

_"How much would you be willing to sacrifice for the cause?"_

Monodramon blinked in surprise at that question. "Anything necessary. Why?"

_"If Millenniumon went so far as to talk to Ryo in person, we have the perfect ace. But you must be willing to make sacrifices to force a Jogress sequence. Without it, there is no way we can ever truly seal Millenniumon's power"_

Time is subjective, Monodramon learned, and a few seconds never felt so long before. A Jogress could mean he would sacrifice his own personality and everything he was would be snuffed by Millenniumon's greater power. He could cease to exist and it would be futile. Or he could still exist, but imprisoned in the back of Millenniumon's mind. Or he could refuse and the eternal war game between the evil god and his human partner would never end. It was a horrible decision he didn't want to make, but...

"I understand, Father. When the time comes, I'll do my best."

There was the silence again, and Monodramon wondered faintly if he went too far calling his Creator something used only by humans for their parents. The ENIAC did create him, and he was not ungrateful. Then, finally... _"That is all anyone could ask for."_

* * *

Note: Yes, Monodramon _does_ have a very slight stuttering problem that isn't very apparent unless he's distressed or surprised. I hardly noticed it myself until I paid very close attention to his lines in the game.


	2. Hide The Deepest Sins

Nature of the Game  
Disk 2: Hide The Deepest Sins  
-by Ajora Fravashi

Disclaimer - I don't own Digimon. Toei/Bandai does.  
Note: Takes place during the game Brave Tamer.

* * *

Perched precariously on a tongue of basalt-like material that jutted over a ravine was a lone boy with a large egg tucked in the crook of his elbow. Everything that happened was bizarre beyond belief and there were times that he felt that it was all a bad dream brought on by too many videogames, but this world had proven it was real time and again. He had the scars to show for it.

Only recently could he recall most of his past, and what he could remember disturbed him.

_"... Lonely soldier boy."_

He remembered the D-1 Tournament, the practice dungeons he had been told to clear, the digimon he had to sacrifice to the demons that dwelled in the Digimon Graveyard. There was a Revolvmon that had been with him along with a couple of other digimon. Then Lady Devimon had demanded a sacrifice or the group wouldn't be able to escape the first crypt. Give the life of one for the survival of the many. Revolvmon went bravely, but another had to be sacrificed in the next crypt, then a third. A fourth had died in the last crypt. Each time he expressed concerns about this, he had been told that there was no other way. So, he simply went along like a good little soldier boy and did as he was ordered.

_"... He had been taught that sacrifices for the greater good were quite acceptable, never mind the fact that such sacrifices could take the lives of others. Extreme situations call for extreme measures, he was told."_

He remembered a younger boy he had adored like the brother he never had, with dark hair and wide blue-violet eyes that suggested the kindest soul he would ever know. He had been closer to the boy and the boy's older brother than he had been with anyone else and lost them both. The elder died after an accident, but what really grated was what happened to the younger. He recalled being hit square in the chest by the younger boy and losing his balance. He landed on his rear after the tackle, but the younger boy was still standing. Then the body jerked as something round and black hit the boy in the back of the neck, and he too fell. The boy had been sick for weeks afterwards, but when the D-1 Tournament started, Ryo could not take care of him anymore.

Then, during one of his time jumps, he ran into what the boy would be in the future. The immeasurable gentleness was gone, twisted upon itself into cruelty. Nearby was a hideous conglomeration of several digimon he later recognized as Chimeramon. However, at the moment he had been struck by the desperate madness in the boy's eyes. Was this what had happened after the boy took the black seed-like object in his place? He should have been there to prevent it, but...

_"... They feared that once he joined with his Watcher, he would realize his true power and break away from them..."_

He remembered the sheer exhaustion settling in even as his team battled Moon-Millenniumon. He had pressed himself throughout the D-1 Tournament to train his digimon; he had trudged through crypts, jungles, grasslands and marshes. He slept only when his team needed rest, ate only when there was time. He had tried so hard, but only after the tournament was he told that it had been an effort to prepare him for another battle with Millenniumon. The thought that everyone felt that deception was necessary to get him to fight stung. He fought only because he was told to. Just following orders.

After a long battle, Moon-Millenniumon was without lackeys to act as shields and was weakening just as much as Ryo was. Then the dark god spoke in a voice that sounded as if there were two voices speaking as one, but the syntax was so perfect.

"Ryo," Moon-Millenniumon began. Ryo started, unwilling to let his opponent get a word in yet curious as to what Millenniumon would say. "You and I are Yang and Yin. I am the Shadow to your Light. One cannot exist without the other. Never will just one of us die without the other. Do you understand what that means?"

Blinking blankly at first, Ryo simply shook his head then. He had no idea what Millenniumon was getting at, and didn't really care. He reassured himself that the evil god was simply buying time.

"It will be my defeat, Ryo." The grotesque monster's voice was calm, almost expectant. Ryo was more wary now; the tranquility in Millenniumon's voice hinted that the battle was not yet over. "However, it will be your defeat as well."

Ryo stepped backwards as the crystal that confined the spirit of Millenniumon cracked and shards broke away. The two-headed shadow shed the last of its crystal prison and drifted towards him. A wild glance around revealed that the tower was crumbling around them and Ankylomon and Aquilamon were dragging XV-mon away for their own safety. It hurt seeing them abandon him, but he wasn't their real partner. He was just someone to be sacrificed to the cause of getting rid of the evil god. Despite the growing sense of terror, he stood tall and defiant as the shadow that was Millenniumon's spirit circled him.

Two claws stretched for him, and unwittingly he stepped back again. The intense red eyes bored into him, sending a chill of dread down his spine. Millenniumon wanted something, but Ryo couldn't guess what. "Now, let us go! Ryo! Come fly with me in the worlds of time!"

Ryo could do nothing but smother the urge to scream as the tower exploded and Millenniumon's spirit embraced him. Then everything went black.

_"...He had never been taught that there is no true judge, that justice is only what one makes of it. When he learns this, then his Watcher will claim him."_

This memory was much more recent. It was the last time he encountered the dark one in a human body. There had only been two instances, but the nagging feeling that he should know Azaziel's true form grew more and more. He had been dragged once again out of a time-hop and found himself standing near a star-lit pool.

"Remember me," a voice asked from the shadows of trees.

"Good evening, Azaziel," he responded, glancing over at the direction the voice was coming from. He didn't particularly mind being plucked out of the mission this time. He was tired of so much traveling and appreciated the opportunity for rest.

There was silence as the dark man stepped from the shadows. The red eyes watched him patiently, as if waiting for him to say something more. When Ryo remained silent as well, Azaziel gave a tiny smirk. "You don't remember yet."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because," the dark man began with a trace of bitterness under the slight amusement in his voice, "you would never talk to me otherwise."

Ryo cocked his head curiously at that. He wanted to ask, but wasn't sure if he wanted the answer quite yet. Azaziel then strode past him to look down at the still, flawless pool.

"The Watcher and the boy I told you about before... Have you any idea why the boy's superiors pitted them against each other?"

It took a moment for Ryo to respond, for he was clearing leaves from a fallen log so that he could use it for a seat. Past experience had taught him that Azaziel's stories would last for a while. "Not a clue. Why?"

"The Watcher was searching for something that should have belonged to him, but because the boy and the Watcher shared the same power, they feared that allowing the two to contact each other would allow the Watcher to claim what was rightfully his and gain the power to overthrow them. But all the Watcher wanted was his child. He didn't even know that the boy sent to kill him was meant to be his. He didn't know until after his first defeat.

"The aspect that had been missing in the Watcher's power lay dormant in the boy. After the first defeat, the Watcher saw past, present and future. He knew then what would happen to the boy, how the boy would be manipulated into trying to kill him over and over again. The cycle of violence would never end unless they either accepted each other or killed each other. So the Watcher came to a decision: he would take revenge on the world that manipulated his boy and train his boy indirectly so that they would be equal when the boy's half of their shared power finally awakened."

Ryo didn't comment. This was not only beyond him, but he suspected he'd find out what the point was sooner or later. Azaziel joined him at the log and the oddly familiar crimson eyes focused on the smooth surface of the pool.

"Do you understand how the ENIAC is capable of helping you travel through time and dimensions?"

"No. He never really explained it."

"Scientists in your world follow the theory that your universe was founded when a single dense mass exploded and sent matter flying ever outwards. They call this the Big Bang. The activation of the ENIAC in 1946, however silly the idea may seem, is the Big Bang of the Digital World. Because it attained consciousness when the Digital World was born, it is capable of accessing all the time periods and dimensions generated by the digital Big Bang. However, he can't just send any human to any time and any dimension."

"So why me," Ryo asked, though there was the nagging sense again that implied that he would know already if he paid more attention to the hints Azaziel had been giving.

"You have a dormant power that most others do not. You and your digimon partner are flukes of nature, neither of you are supposed to exist. In all the dimensions but one, you had either been stillborn, killed in an accident, or died in any number of other ways. Your partner likewise would never have been generated in the Digital World were it not for a last minute sacrifice by his Jogress parents. This gives both of you the advantage of not having to run into yourselves in any other dimension."

Silence fell after that. Ryo didn't like the thought at all, but after all the time and dimension traveling he had been doing, it made some bizarre sense. He gazed blankly out at the pool that mirrored the starry sky above as he mulled over what the dark man said. When he had enough time to digest that, Azaziel continued.

"What I will tell you now is something that few of your own kind fully understand, and far less of my own kind can even imagine such possibilities.

"Every event happens in a specific time and place. Therefore, movement through time is also movement through space and vice versa. With time travel one must take account for time more than space, for showing up in the right place at the wrong time can cause new realities to spring up. Do you know how this is possible?"

Shaking his head was all the indication Ryo could give at the moment. This was a lot more complicated than he thought it would have been and he wondered if he'd be able to understand it all.

"Imagine a physics lab at a university. The lab is set up as so: there is a machine aimed at a barrier with two slits in it, and a meter or so from that barrier is a sheet of photographic paper. A professor shoots a single photon particle at the barrier with two slits in it. This single particle somehow converts into wave energy and that energy splits so that two wave fronts show up on the paper. The paper then displays interference patterns with crests and troughs either canceling each other out or amplifying each other. However, there is another interpretation. This theory says that the universe splits into two. In one universe, the photon is still a particle and goes through the left slit. In the other universe, the particle goes through the right slit. Now, because it ultimately doesn't matter which slit the particle goes through, the two universes merge and again become one. Therefore, the professor has physical evidence of temporary parallel universes, displayed by the interference patterns on a simple piece of paper. However, if the change is too different, the two universes do not collapse into one and instead go on their separate ways.

"You see, dear boy, this is how the ENIAC is capable of sending you on your missions throughout times and dimensions. It is the founder, a God manifested as a machine. Yet it was the humans who created this god, and the humans are gods in their own way."

Ryo frowned as he tried to absorb this. He sort of remembered his rudimentary physics classes in school, but this wasn't quite standard physics. And what did that example have to do with the ENIAC again? This was giving him a headache. "Can you explain the ENIAC's connection with that parallel world thingy again?"

Azaziel flashed a brief smile, but it was gone before Ryo fully caught it. "The God in the machine, when it woke, created the Big Bang. Every variation generated by that spins off another universe. Because the God is conscious, it can access those universes. And because the God does not see certain variation-spun multiple universes as relevant to the grand scheme of things, it collapses them into whatever universe it saw as the most important. Thus, some denizens of those collapsed universes might remember things differently from others."

"Hmm." It was starting to make a bit of sense to Ryo now. He was still somewhat confused and wondered faintly if it was to be a constant state when he was around Azaziel. "Then Millenniumon's conquest of the future changed that, right? How?"

The dark man was silent, as if debating whether he should tell Ryo something the boy could not guess. Finally, Azaziel straightened proudly before responding. "There are other gods besides the ENIAC and the Holy Beasts. Millenniumon is the god of darkness, the only one counterbalancing the gods of goodness, light, and all that hogwash. He sought to change the future to suit him better by taking over the past and claiming what was rightfully his. He has his reasons."

There was the silence again. Ryo eyed the dark man warily, wondering if he should trust someone who seemed to understand Millenniumon's reasoning. Azaziel hadn't looked like an evil digimon, really, but in the Digital World, who could tell? At least Azaziel was giving him somewhat straight answers, which was more than the ENIAC would allow him.

"But back to the original subject," Azaziel said quickly, as if wanting to avoid something particularly sensitive. "To truly master time travel, one must be certain of when and where they are. When you have the destination, you have the key to getting there. Nevertheless, prior knowledge of the destination is necessary and you can only travel to a place and time you been before. You have the ability, but it is the machine god that allows you to travel to times and places you have never been to.

"However, mistakes can be made when someone wanders into a time and place where they don't belong, usually a point before they left the time stream. Therefore they miss the point they wanted to be at and if they change events that have already happened, they change the main reality. This can be repaired if they ignore the minor details and fix the first few events that go wrong, and time will sort itself out. The ENIAC aides this with the power it has over the universe its awareness created, but its power is only limited to the Digital World and anything in the Real World that is affected by the existence of computers."

Ryo only barely kept himself from staring at the dark man. These explanations of time travel were complicated, but they did make sense in a way. He stored the information for later contemplation, but now there was something else nagging at him. "And what of the mini-universes, the ones that spin off from the main reality?"

"It depends. If you become stuck in one, it becomes _your_ reality, but you can cease to exist in the main one. Otherwise, they don't really exist and instead collapse back into the main universe." Azaziel turned to look at him again. "But that's just a little problem for you, considering how closely the ENIAC and your partner have been watching your progress."

There was the silence again, oddly comfortable despite the fact that he just didn't trust Azaziel all that much. It was someone from his past though, someone very important and he were sure he would remember eventually. Then, finally, he asked why Azaziel had told him all this.

Azaziel cocked his head curiously at the question, as if he couldn't fathom why it was asked. Nevertheless, he did respond. "I tell you this because you and your partner share the same power. Your half, however, has yet to fully awaken. By telling you of the nature of the game, that everything you have experienced is training so that your own partner will accept you when the games are over, I have hopes that you will cultivate that power to maturity on your own."

"Oh." Ryo took a moment to think that over. He had never considered himself very special; for the most part he just went along with what everyone said about him because they didn't listen to his protests anyway. He had become so used to trying to fit into everyone's expectations of him that it became harder and harder to be himself. Was that what Azaziel was really trying to do, help him find himself by learning of a power no one else had mentioned?

Before he could ask, Azaziel began to step back towards the shadows. He didn't think twice as he bounced to his feet and ran to grab the dark man before the shadows reclaimed what was theirs. The darkness was too deep and he was soon lost.

Ryo stopped when he realized that he didn't know where he was going anymore. Azaziel hadn't told him everything about his past, and it frustrated him immensely. Why didn't the jerk even say goodbye? He still didn't understand so many things and had put far too much hope on the prospect that Azaziel would tell him everything, but so far the dark man had only given him stories and space-time theories. He was supposed to figure it out on his own, he assumed, though there were still far too many gaps in his memory for him to piece the puzzle together. Why couldn't things be simpler?

It wasn't long before he found the ENIAC's gate again, but it would be a while longer before he would figure everything out.

_"Remember what I said then, lonely soldier boy."_

The egg in the crook of his arm was warm with both his body heat and its own. It was a fragile armor for the embryo that was his partner digimon.

He had always wanted a partner digimon to call his own. Agumon certainly wasn't his, nor were V-mon, Hawkmon or Armadimon. None of the digimon he was actually working with were his real partners. Then, when he and Monodramon were going to fight Millenniumon, he learned of a cruel twist of fate.

"We could have been the best partners," Millenniumon had said with a hint of regret in his voice just moments before Monodramon felt the beginnings of a Jogress. Everything fell into place then: the fact that he never had a digimon partner of his own was because his own nemesis had been his partner all along, the fact Millenniumon could not die was because they were intrinsically linked and one could not exist without the other. Then there were the clones of the Kaiser, Taichi, Daisuke, and some boy named Takato that had been sent to attack the ENIAC. Millenniumon had been experimenting in human cloning for a purpose Ryo could only guess at, and then that piece of the puzzle fell into place too. When he trudged through the palace to find an exit, he wandered into the cloning chamber. There, hidden behind vats of human and digimon bodies, was a single vat separated from the rest. Suspended in a nutrient bath and with thin cables linking the body to a metal panel behind it was a very familiar body, and Ryo clearly remembered the sick coiling in the pit of his stomach when he identified it as Azaziel.

Why had Millenniumon constructed a human body and used it to confront him? Why had Millenniumon told him so many secrets when it was against the evil god's own favor? Was it to make him sympathetic to the devil? Was it to twist the knife of fate's cruelty even further? Why?

The egg was silent and immobile. It was the result of the sacrifices made and the mutual goals of two very different digimon. One had been Monodramon, eternally curious and always had Ryo's best interests in mind. The other had been Millenniumon, selfish evil god of the Digital world whose goals had always been a mystery to everyone. But now Ryo suspected that Millenniumon _had_ told him and he never realized it until all the pieces fell into place. But the game was over before he could really get to know his sworn enemy, and it was too late to do anything about it. Would the result of the Jogress even remember what it had once been?

Ryo closed his eyes as he held the egg. A single memory crystallized in his mind, one of his last encounter with Azaziel. There had been a genuine smile as the dark man looked at him, but he hadn't recognized it as such until now. Azaziel looked so proud of him, but the smile was gone before Ryo had been able to fully register it. What had he done to gain such pride? Was it because he followed all his orders without question? No, that couldn't be it, for Azaziel hadn't been pleased when he said he only fought because he was told to do so. Why?

The egg remained silent, and Ryo wondered faintly why he had almost expected it to respond to him. It would be so easy, wouldn't it? Just lower his forearm a little and let the egg roll away from him and into the ravine. He could say it was an accident, that the egg slipped and he reacted too late.

He recalled the first time he had seen the grotesque, monstrous form of Millenniumon and how hard it had been to stand up in defiance when he had been tempted to run far away and hide. Despite everything he had found the courage to face and defeat the digimon everyone feared. He had been trained to hate Millenniumon without reason, and had been quite content with that until the evil god changed the rules. It wasn't fair. He had always wanted a digimon partner of his own, and the very creature he had been trained to blindly hate turned out to be that partner. And poor little Monodramon had been brave enough to find the common thread that allowed a Jogress with the evil god. An evil god who no longer had a real body anymore, and hadn't since Ryo had killed it a good while ago. In all likelihood it would be Monodramon's evolution line the Jogress child would follow, but would Monodramon's be the dominant personality? Monodramon knew the risks though, and it had been his choice to follow through with the Jogress. And then there was something else that nagged at Ryo: a Jogress couldn't exactly be forced, so deep inside Millenniumon must have wanted something that would come of the union. But whatever it was, Ryo wasn't sure he wanted to know.

The egg listed forward in a partial turn before Ryo blinked and lifted his arm. It would have been easy to let the egg fall to its demise, but Monodramon was in there too and it wouldn't have been right. With a sigh of resignation, Ryo inched away from the cliff and rose to his feet. Why had everything gone wrong? Maybe the ENIAC would offer an answer now that it was all over and Millenniumon sealed.

The walk back to the ENIAC's gate was uneventful, and he had long since gotten used to the brief loss of senses during the trips through the gates. The next thing he knew, he was once again standing in the ENIAC's chamber and turned to face the languidly rotating ball of light. He stood like a soldier before the electronic god.

_"Ryo, thank you for everything. Peace has been regained by all your efforts, courage and friendship. This world, and all the worlds and times of the future have been restored to their original states."_

Ryo smothered the urge to grin like an idiot, for no one had ever said anything like that to him and truly meant it. It just felt really, really good to know his efforts were finally appreciated. But then he recalled how much had been lost for the cause and the flame of delight had diminished to a cinder.

As if the great electric Creator had heard his thoughts, the ball of light gave off an almost soothing glow. _"Monodramon is still in the egg and very much alive. I can feel it in me, the beating of the right heart. You can hear it in the middle of the egg if you like, Ryo."_

Blinking in surprise at that comment, Ryo held the egg up to his ear and concentrated on the silence. Surely enough there was the faint throbbing of a single heart in the center of the egg. Just one, not two as he had feared. Two hearts had quite literally become one, which suggested that Monodramon and Millenniumon had merged. Azaz- er, Millenniumon had said he would explain everything when it was all over, but now the opportunity was gone and Ryo would never have all his questions answered. With a sigh, Ryo lowered the egg.

A tendril of light stretched from the ENIAC to gesture towards a small and vaguely box-like object that materialized in the far corner of the chamber. Ryo quickly gathered from the gesture and the shape of the lid that he was supposed to place the egg there. He slipped it inside, somewhat disappointed that he was never going to know what his former nemesis had meant to tell him.

_"Farewell,"_ the ENIAC said, though Ryo suspected it was meant more for the egg than for him. _"The egg is incubating now. It will meet you again later."_ And again the machine spoke towards the egg, as if answering something only it could hear. _"Goodbye."_

Ryo remained silent throughout this. Monodramon had been close to the ENIAC and often behaved like a reverent son in his Creator's presence, and he wondered faintly if the ENIAC was partial to Monodramon too. He didn't ask though, it was something between them and he would be intruding where he didn't belong.

_"Ryo."_

"Yes sir?"

The swirling of the rings of light around the main ball was more constrained now. It was as if the ENIAC was hesitant about telling him something, but the great Creator had never expressed emotions to such a degree before. He would have liked to ask about it, but he had been trained not to question such things from higher authorities.

_"I am afraid that right now I cannot send you back to your own period and universe."_

If it had been possible, Ryo's jaw would have detached and dropped to the floor. He had been working so hard in hopes that he would return to where he belonged. He had plans to apologize to Ken for not being there when Ken needed him most and to his parents for disappearing. He wanted to pick up where he left off, but now that was impossible. "But why? I don't understand! Where am I supposed to go?"

_"If I send you back to the exact time and place you left that time stream in your world, there is a considerable risk that there will be too much disruption in the continuity. Because I technically will not exist in the human world past 1955, I will be unable to fix things myself until a few years pass from when you left until my system resources are restored."_

Ryo's shoulders slumped. It would be years before he could go home. "But if you don't exist past 1955, how did you manage to send me to other points in the future?"

The constrained motion of the rings loosened a bit. _"Those realities were temporary, thus easier to access. Sending you to the main reality you originated from in such a small time frame would make it break up into many realities, and right now I do not have the energy and power to bring them back together. Sending you to a time period where I would be dormant in the Digital World and no longer functioning in the real world takes up system resources I cannot spare right now. Add on to the fact that I will be unable to repair the disruption caused by your return to your world within seconds of your disappearance, and I am sure you can understand the limitations of my power."_

Resisting the urge to break something, Ryo simply curled his hands into fists and stood back at attention. It was always this way: he could go above and beyond the call of duty for the sake of the Digital World, but it tended to screw him over in turn. He was tired of it, but there was nothing he could do. "Then where will I go?"

The ENIAC was silent as insubstantial rings rotated around the ball of light that it manifested itself as in the Digital World. Ryo waited with growing impatience as the ENIAC busied itself without answering. He was tired, his nerves were stretched to the breaking point, he wanted an end to all the hedging and didn't particularly fancy staying in the Digital World for the rest of his life. Finally, just as he was going to press on the matter, the ENIAC responded.

_"There are several main universes I have access to. While your home is in one, there is another that I find you would be best suited for. Its deviation from your universe started when humankind actually tampered with the Digital World instead of letting digimon develop on their own. In your universe, they had never come together and their experiments in artificial intelligence were separate. In the one I can send you to, this group called the Wild Bunch were directly responsible for the development of the digimon of your time period. I can arrange for someone to take guardianship of you until it's time for you to return to your own universe. Does that suit you?"_

Ryo sighed. Okay, it was something at least. He had survived on his own before and this would be no different. It would just be a couple of years or so, that's all. "I guess so. But, there's something else."

_"What is it?"_

"During the campaign, Millenniumon took on the appearance of another human and well..."

_"I am aware, Ryo. Very little escapes my notice. Was something about the encounter puzzling you?"_

"Yeah," Ryo muttered softly, unsure of whether he really wanted to know the answer to his question. But it was a clue, something he could use to understand Millenniumon. "ENIAC, search string 'Azaziel' and 'Watchers'. Please define."

There were a few long moments of silence, and Ryo waited for the great machine to finish processing his request. The ENIAC was far from being the fastest computer ever made, but in the Digital World its processing speed was increased a hundredfold in comparason to its physical manifestation in the real world. Ryo had nothing but sympathy for those who had to work on and program it. Finally, the ENIAC responded.

_"From the Book of Enoch, one of the writings of Judeo-Christian mythology considered apocryphal by many. The Watchers were angels sent by the sole god to watch over the frontiers of his universe. However, two hundred Watchers fell in love with humans. Together they decided to leave their abode in the heavens, take mates among the humans, and teach their mates and the children of the mating the forbidden sins. They had decided that the blame of this crime should go to their leader, Samyaza, but in the end it had been another who suffered the worst punishment of them all. This was Azaziel, the fallen angel who had taught the worst sins: war, vanity and fornication. When judgment was passed, Azaziel had been cast into the ravine of a desert and sealed in darkness, never to see light again."_

An uncomfortable silence prevailed after the explanation was given, and Ryo couldn't help but be somewhat ill at the prospect. His one true nemesis had taken the name of one of the angels that came to love a human and forsaken everything for that love. Did that mean what he suspected that it meant? Then why did Millenniumon persist in sending minions to attack him? But then, "Azaziel" _had_ explained it. It had all be training for him to come into his power on his own and become strong enough for his partner to accept him as an equal. Millenniumon was that partner. But then did Millenniumon ever care to ask if _he_ wanted the partnership?

No, no, of course not. Millenniumon was evil and selfish, and had killed so many digimon in his misguided attempt to train Ryo.

But someone evil and selfish would have hidden all the information Millenniumon had given him. Those digimon that were killed in the consecutive campaigns, would they have attacked anyway without the dark god's orders? And didn't experience improve his abilities? Then there was something else: a memory of a tender touch and a kiss. Could evil creatures have such emotions, let alone display them? Before he could go further on this train of thought, the ENIAC interrupted.

_"It would not do to feel sympathy for the devil. Ryo, Millenniumon has killed millions for the sake of his games. He has never expressed, let alone felt, remorse for his actions. He took perverse delight in battle and killed because he had twisted his hatred of his own form into hatred of other digimon. He was suffering from severe delusions and megalomania. One can hope, however, that this period of rest will allow Millenniumon sufficient time to heal. Consider it a new start for him."_

Ryo simply gave a terse nod. It would take time for him to accept it all, but now time was all he had. And there was that old saying: time heals all wounds.

* * *

Note: Yes, I do believe Millenniumon does have some redeeming traits, however well hidden they may be. My apologies for the lateness of this part, but I was swamped with end-of-term work. All translations from D-1 Tamers and Brave Tamer are my own (several lines from the ENIAC and Moon-Millenniumon). The multiple-world theories expressed are inspired in part by the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum physics, the Everett-Wheeler theory, and several other variations on similar themes. And, of course, a tip of the hat to Farscape.


	3. Of All The Things Gone Wrong

Nature of the Game  
Disk 3: Of All The Things Gone Wrong  
-by Ajora Fravashi

*Disclaimer - I don't own Digimon. Toei/Bandai does.  
*Note: Takes place a year and a half after Brave Tamer, around six or so months before Digimon Tamers.  
*Warning: Implied Millenniumon - Ryo. Oh stop whining, it's there in the games anyway. Also, slightly different definition of blood lust is used.

* * *

He couldn't remember the last time he slept so well. Come to think of it, he couldn't remember if he ever slept well at all. The voices that pestered him were gone now, they had disappeared once the union was complete. The unfocused rage that he had fought hard to keep in check when he confronted Ryo was gone as well for the most part, but he wouldn't be surprised if it flared up again in the future. Then there were the memories. Ryo had not only taken everything he could throw at the boy, but fought back with impressive strength that could only have come from experience. He was very proud of his child, with good reason. Ryo had risen from a little boy who cringed when attacked and bent to the flow to someone who fought back and defended what he believed was right. Both of them had made severe mistakes, but in the end everything made them equal. In the end the hate he felt for the boy meant to be his partner had grown into love. It was stupid, but he excused Ryo's behavior because Ryo was only being a good little boy and taking orders as they were issued.

Ryo would have benefited a lot from his tutelage had Monodramon not intervened and triggered the Jogress sequence that united them. If things were different, he would have had Ryo besides him as he governed the Digital World. But such things were not meant to be, and now he was trapped in a physical body again.

He stretched out a claw before his face, then grunted his disapproval. While the body was aesthetically better by far than the one he had before his "death", it was still weak compared to what he was used to and not exactly suitable for his purposes. The body was an evolution of Monodramon. Cyberdramon, wasn't it? That meant-

_"Finally awake, Millenniumon?"_

_Much to my displeasure_, he thought, his mood immediately souring. Well, one voice in his head was better than several.

_"Good. Then I'd appreciate it if you keep your disgusting fantasies to yourself from now on."_

Crimson eyes behind a seemingly opaque mask narrowed at that. He certainly wasn't aware that the little dragon was capable of reading his mind, let alone listening in on the little scenarios he liked to play in the solitude of his mind when he was bored.

_"How can I help it? Your thoughts broadcast as loudly as if you were describing it all vocally. You're fortunate your thoughts go too fast for our mouth to keep up."_ There was silence as Monodramon thought on something, then, _"No, I don't think Ryo's into bondage."_

He let out a single growl in frustration. Having that stammering pest sharing his mind certainly wasn't what he was looking forward to for the rest of his life.

_"I don't particularly look forward to being with you either, but we should make do with what we have. And if you even think of following through on your plots, I can tell the ENIAC and we'll have to deal with starting over again. While I don't particularly mind being Ketomon for an extended period of time-"_

There was a growl of consent as he took a moment to survey his surroundings. He could see sand all around. It was fitting, in a way, that he had awoken in a desert-

_"I'm sure you're delighted by the prospect that you share a lot with a fallen angel that probably never existed. And you're right, Azaziel is a suitable pseudonym for you. He seems like just as much a drama queen as you are, too."_

With a growl of disgust, he picked a direction and began walking. This new existence was probably going to be a lot less pleasant than he had hoped it would be. At the very least, he would do well to learn to better mask his thoughts.

_"I agree. The last thing I want is a mental image of Ryo in black leather, which you seem to like fixating on. You are such a pervert."_

Somewhere, in the dry desert region of one of the many Digital Worlds spawned by the awakening of the ENIAC and the Atanasoff-Berry computer, a roar of sheer rage could be heard.

.~*~.

Ryo stood with a hand firmly grasping one of the many hard plastic rings that helped commuters keep their balance while the train sped along its tracks, faintly wishing he had gotten to the station fast enough to catch an earlier train. However, there was the issue of his guardian that refused to be resolved unless he skipped that train.

He wasn't technically supposed to exist in this universe, but the ENIAC had sent him here. The Ryo of this universe had run away, only to be killed in a blizzard while trekking through the Niigata prefecture on the way to a port that would take him to Hokkaido. Hokkaido was where his mother, divorced in this universe, lived. Ironically enough, it had been near the Akiyama region of Niigata that the Ryo of this universe was last seen. The body that was found was never identified, allowing him to go back the father and accept being grounded for several months. Then Akiyama Toshio had taken him and moved to Fukuoka. That didn't stop things from happening as they did.

The ENIAC, perhaps in a gesture of thanks for all the things he had done for the Digital World, had subtly manipulated things in this world in his favor. He was anonymously sent a pack of Digimon game cards and instructions on how to play, then had come to master the game with the ease of experience. Then he had found that his adventures in the Digital World and those of the Chosen Children had been released as a television show and series of games, all of which were very popular amongst the children of this universe. One of the writers for the company had pointed to him as the inspiration for the videogames, and life hadn't been quite the same since. He had never felt such mass adoration before, especially for something he had no hand in, but it felt really good. Even when he couldn't really go back to his own universe for a while yet, it made his situation easier to accept.

Now he was on his way to a hotel he was staying at during his time in Tokyo for the final round of the Japan-wide D-1 Card Tournament. The name of the tournament had made him laugh bitterly at first, but he accepted the invitation to participate. It wasn't as if he had anything better to do, and there were certain expectations he had to live up to. His fans wanted him to win, so he had to go to Tokyo and play in the championship. Faintly he wondered if there would be a life-altering event near the end of the tournament as there had been in a similarly named tournament in another universe.

The train stopped before he was aware of it, and he disembarked in the almost mechanical manner of someone long used to travelling by subway trains. His thoughts were elsewhere, and he didn't pay much attention to where he was going.

His father, at least the one in this universe, hadn't approved of his almost obsessive fixation on the Digimon franchise and had constantly insisted that he spend more time with a more worthwhile hobby. But digimon had become all he knew and all he needed to know. He had spent so much energy and suffered so much for the Digital World that in the end it was all he knew. What was there for him in the real world but fans who were more interested in his fame than in himself and school lessons that meant nothing in the wilderness where his heart belonged? What did algebra mean to him when he had to fend for himself with nothing but a pocketknife? What did the Tale of Genji mean to him when he had to catch, gut and cook his own food? What did an overbearing parent mean to him when he had learned to survive on his own and learned that the only one he could truly count on was himself?

That had probably been the biggest cause of the strife between himself and his father in this world: he was so used to surviving on his own that his father's strict rules chafed. Wild creatures weren't meant to be caged or leashed, and the Digital World had turned him into one of its own. This thought of course led to others. He didn't belong here, really, and had yet to form a lasting friendship with anyone. In a way it was because he remembered the betrayal at the D-1 Tournament of the other universe and didn't want to trust people that much anymore. In a way it was because he had held on to the hope that he was going to go back home someday and was always on the look-out for some sign from the ENIAC. It wasn't safe to get too close to anyone. Just keeping them at arm's length was suitable enough.

Some movement caught his eye on the walk to the hotel, but it had been nothing more than a rustle in the foliage in a nearby park and he paid it little heed. Then, much to his surprise, a claw snaked out and dragged him into the bushes. He could do nothing more than give a startled yelp.

It took only a moment to right himself after he had lost his footing and fell. It took longer for him to identify the large digimon who had captured him. Dull, almost black, armor covered the cybernetic dragon from head to foot. He remembered it was an evolution of Monodramon, but did that mean-

"Monodramon? Millenniumon?"

The dragon tilted his head ever so slightly, as if thinking of what to respond with. Finally, he gave a simple answer that encompassed his new existence. "Cyberdramon."

Ryo blinked at that answer, unsure of just how to respond. Did that mean the result of the Jogress didn't remember? Or did it mean that Cyberdramon _did_ remember, but chose to ignore that past? Nevertheless, it was probably best to ignore the past for the time being. "So, what brings you here?"

There was the tiniest quirk at the corner of Cyberdramon's mouth before the great cybernetic dragon responded. "You."

Unsure of just how to respond to that, Ryo stared up curiously at Cyberdramon. Was it time to go home already? No, it was too soon. Then what was it, really? Since words were failing him, his response was far from being concise. "OKOK, and...?"

"You're my partner," Cyberdramon uttered rather gruffly. Ryo had just now noticed that the dragon spoke with one voice, not two as he had feared. That was promising. He still hadn't quite come to terms with his partnership to a self-styled evil god, but the lack of a second voice would make the transition easier. So long as Cyberdramon didn't exhibit Millenniumon's more unsavory traits, things would be okay. He hoped so, anyway.

There was no more information forthcoming, so Ryo took a moment to ponder his current situation. Here he was with his digimon partner and nowhere to keep a dragon that was too big to fit into his scrawny hotel room, let alone the house in Fukuoka. His guardian in this universe would have a fit and sooner summon the Japanese Defense Force than let him bring Cyberdramon near the residence. It was too early to go back to his real home. Was he needed in the Digital World again? That didn't make sense though, he had only ever been called to the Digital World if Millenniumon was causing trouble. Millenniumon was no longer a serious threat. But then it would be a nice change of pace to go to the Digital World and not have to do any of the tasks he had been asked to do so long ago.

"So, how did you get here? Did the ENIAC-"

"No. Caught a data stream. The Digital World is... different in this universe." Cyberdramon then turned slightly and pointed to a fairly nondescript clearing further in the park. "That was where I arrived this morning."

Ryo left the dragon's side to take a closer look. There was no telltale glow of white in the area that would signify the presence of one of the ENIAC's gates, nor was there the faint skin-crawling sensation that marked a weakness in the barrier between the worlds. It was very unusual.

However, that still didn't solve the question of what he was going to do with Cyberdramon. With a silent sigh, Ryo scratched the back of his neck as he considered the one plausible option he had. "So, are you okay with staying here for a while? I can't really take you to the house, you know."

Cyberdramon regarded the area for a moment before grunting his consent. It was not a situation he was likely to appreciate, but it was all Ryo could offer. In all likelihood, they wouldn't be here long anyway.

.~*~.

_"It's too noisy,"_ Millenniumon hissed to himself as he tried to block out the sounds of nearby traffic. It could be noisy in certain places in the Digital World too, but back there he could at least retreat to his tower and bask in the calming and comfortable stillness. There was no retreat here and no outlet for the irritation that was starting to boil into irrational anger within him.

Monodramon remained oddly silent, mostly due to Millenniumon's growing control over their shared body, and in retrospect it was probably just as well. Monodramon's quips would have only added fuel to the fire. With Ryo at the Tokyo Big Sight convention center to participate in the final round of the card tournament, there was nothing to bring the former evil god to his senses.

A deeply reverberating roar sounded in Shiokaze Park, sending everyone in the immediate vicinity running towards the safety of the city. The few foolishly brave souls that ventured into the park to investigate were soon stricken with fear once their eyes fell upon the hulking black form of Cyberdramon and joined their peers. He attacked the source of his current frustration: the cars that sped along the street outside the once peaceful seaside park. Metal gave in easily to sharp claws and raw bestial strength, blood ran from the wounds of those who were too slow to get away. Throughout it all, the black cybernetic dragon tasted a fleeting sense of peace and freedom with every satisfying crunch of metal and glass.

Cyberdramon was so caught up in his berserker state that he did not notice the approach of police vehicles, nor did he pay attention to the magnified voice demanding him to cease his enough, the police cars were as easily disposed of as the rest.

.~*~.

Ryo let out a sigh of relief as he turned over the last card. The card battle had been close, but his opponent was now out of cards and the last one he had was just set down. She was very good at the card game, better than everyone else who had competed, but in the end it was luck and experience alone that allowed him to win. He didn't say it aloud, but the red-haired girl currently glowering at him was kind of cute. Given a few years, she would probably grow up into quite the beauty. Now, however, she looked like she was ready to throttle him.

"Best game I've played yet," he offered with an honest smile in hopes that it would alleviate her foul mood. Unfortunately, it only made her frown deepen. Maybe something else would work. "You're really good at the game. I'm sure you'll beat me next time."

The girl looked like she was going to respond, but she was cut short when someone at the judging table was asked to raise the volume of his radio set. The words crackled with static, but the message was understandable enough. Something about terrorist attacks in a park in Odaiba. Ryo couldn't shake off the sense of deja vu. Back in the universe where he originated, there had been a similar terrorist attack in the same area years ago, and it happened again later. But it wasn't a terrorist group that attacked...

In the midst of the sudden panic in Tokyo Big Sight, no one had noticed when Ryo wasn't there anymore.

Thankful that the ensuing confusion allowed Ryo the cover he needed to get away, he ran out of the convention center and stopped a moment to scan the area for transportation. It was just over two and a half kilometers from Tokyo Big Sight to Shiokaze Park, a distance he couldn't hope to walk in time. The train probably wouldn't be going there while the area was still dangerous and he didn't know how to drive a car yet. As his eyes fell on a queue of bicycles locked up to a metal rail just outside the convention center entrance, his decision was made.

The first few were chained tightly to the rail and no amount of picking at the locks with his pocket knife helped the situation. One, however, had a gap within one of the links in the chains and a bit of prying with the knife opened the gap in the link wide enough for him to slip another link through it and part the chain. He unwound the constricting chain from the bicycle and eased it away from the others. Hopefully he'd be able to bring the bicycle back, but for now he had no other choice.

Once he wheeled the bicycle to the road, he started pedaling as fast as he could. It took five minutes to get to and cross Akemi Bridge, a feat that would have surprised him had be been paying attention to the time. It took another eight minutes to get to Shiokaze Park. What he witnessed once he got there, though, was something he wished he would never see.

Cyberdramon had lifted a small car and was posed to throw it with another that had been lodged into a nearby hotel. Ryo could hear the cries of people inside it, people begging to be spared, but Cyberdramon was deaf to their pleas. Ryo dismounted once he was close enough and tossed the bicycle to the side. He would need to do something to distract Cyberdramon and quickly, but what-

His eyes fell on a nearby stone in the grass. It was hefty and would do some damage, but right now the lives of people outweighed the headache that would come of the took him but a moment to measure the trajectory and throw the stone, and it impacted hard with the back of Cyberdramon's head.

With a growl, the great black dragon dropped the car and turned to attack his assailant. Unfocused rage clouded his mind and made him blind to what he was attacking. The two-legged creature pranced out of the way of the first swipe of his claw, then the other. His claws gouged into the earth each time, but did not meet with any other resistance. The creature then gave chase, running to the heart of the park with him close behind. The cars were forgotten.

Ryo mentally swore at himself as he wove between the trees in an effort to get away from his partner. He could hear the snapping of nearby branches and tried to run faster. Better him than the innocent people in the car, but what the hell was he going to do with Cyberdramon? It was too dangerous to keep Cyberdramon here. But where-

An ill-placed foot, a protruding root and the laws of physics sent the boy crashing into the ground. With a groan, Ryo forced himself to sit up and assess the damages. His ankle was sore but not too badly twisted, so he could run on it if he had to. He was in the act of rising to his feet when the snapping noise stopped and was replaced with a very near deep-throated growl. He looked up to judge the distances between them, then cursed himself again as he only saw the claw swiping at him too late. He had mere milliseconds to roll away, and was in the act of doing so when a sharp claw caught and tore into his left upper arm. The pain seared along his nerves as he stopped his roll to clutch the wound close.

If nothing else registered in the fog of blind rage, the cry of pain from a familiar voice was the one thing that pierced the haze. He recognized in the span of a moment, then the fog dissipated and left Cyberdramon staring down at his injured partner. Blood oozed from the wound and between the boy's fingers, then dripped slowly into the grass. Cyberdramon knelt before his partner to take a closer look. It wasn't a deep wound and Ryo wasn't going to lose use of the arm, but he was bleeding and his face was a mask of pain.

Fascinated by the blood, Cyberdramon leaned closer to get a good look. It was a beautiful deep red with a sharp copper scent that tantalized him. Curious, he nuzzled at the hand that covered the wound and licked away the blood. Ryo's hand jerked at the contact, and he let out a small warning growl before continuing. He enjoyed the taste of warm blood too much to let Ryo shove him away.

A shudder rippled through Ryo's body at the change Cyberdramon displayed. One moment the dragon was trying to attack him, and now Cyberdramon was _licking away his blood_. His stomach lurched at the prospect. It was revolting, but at least Cyberdramon was calm now. And, oddly enough, looked like he was almost at peace. With a sigh of resignation, Ryo moved his hand just enough to allow Cyberdramon to lap up the rest of the blood. He'd have to do something about his partner, but staying here was no longer an option.

Cyberdramon had once been Millenniumon, and the traits were all too obvious now. Millenniumon was known for unfocused, uncontrollable destructive rages, probably due to the deep rifts in the dark god's psyche. But then there was something else: Millenniumon's rather questionable views of Ryo. Millenniumon wasn't above hurting him, but seemed to anger easily if anyone else hurt or used him. It was very creepy, but what could Ryo do? Spurn the former dark god and the ensuing destruction would be his fault. Stay with his partner and he would never be able to live a normal life. He was cursed.

After a while, Cyberdramon backed away to allow him to treat the wound. Ryo tore the sleeve where it had been ripped and attempted to wrap it tight enough to slow the blood flow and bind the wound. He was still in pain and his attempts were clumsy, but it wasn't until a third try that Cyberdramon grabbed hold of one end of the makeshift bandage with his teeth. Ryo accepted the help and tied the bandage in place.

"Sorry," the cybernetic dragon offered tersely as he let go of the bandage and backed away to allow the boy to rise.

Ryo brushed off the apology and looked around in the vain hopes that he could find some way to deal with the partner fate had cursed him with. Something caught the corner of his eye then, a faint glow that wasn't quite like one of the ENIAC's gate but certainly otherworldly. Strange square-shaped images flickered in the glow that originated between two of the trees that marked the border between the sea shore and the park greenery. It looked almost digital...

His hotel room was in ruins and he didn't trust Cyberdramon alone anymore. All he had was a pocket knife wrapped in a red kerchief in one pocket, five device cards in the other, a wallet, and a pair of gloves. Nothing more, nothing less. As he squared his shoulders, he called out for his partner to join him.

As far as he was concerned, there was no turning back.

* * *


	4. Where You Belong

Nature of the Game  
Disk 4: Where You Belong  
-by Ajora Fravashi

*Disclaimer - I don't own Digimon. Toei/Bandai does.  
*Props to Iron Maiden's "Caught Somewhere in Time", The Rolling Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil" and Poe's "Hey Pretty", which were all greatly inspiring for this fic as a whole. And of course, to the people at Bandai responsible for giving Millenniumon a real personality.

* * *

Somehow everything always circled back to the desert. It was on a hovering continent over the desert that he defeated Millenniumon the first time, in the desert that Millenniumon fell the second time and Ken took the Dark Seed in his stead. It was over the desert that Moon-Millenniumon's crystal tower exploded. And here he was again.

The sand shifted under his weight each time he set a foot down, it was tossed in the wind and got into everything it could. He paused for a moment to spit out the gritty material that somehow managed to find its way into his mouth and poured the water from a canteen he had picked up onto his kerchief. Once he slipped the canteen back into a pocket, he folded the kerchief into a triangle and tied it so that it covered his nose and mouth. The water would act as a humidifier as well as block the majority of the sand kicked up by the wind. It wasn't a problem, really, for he was used to the desert environment. There was just something about the familiarity of it...

He wandered the desert with only his partner for a companion. No one was around to expect anything of him, no one was around who expected him to play the good little Japanese boy. He didn't have to be bright and cheerful for anyone. There were no chafing rules or leashes to tie him down, no annoying clamor of urban life. Better yet, his wound had closed without scarring once he stepped into the portal to the Digital World and he couldn't even feel the ghost pain anymore.

Freedom. It was something he never had before. Even in his previous ventures in the Digital World he had to answer to higher powers. Now he had yet to run into anyone in authority who wanted him to fulfill some task or another. Of course, he had been here for only a few hours, but a few hours of pure freedom was enough. He smiled under the red kerchief, one of the rare genuine smiles that lit up his face and was not a protective mask like the fake ones he so often used. Every sense of disappointment, anger, abandonment, betrayal... it all seemed so insignificant now.

As the sand dunes leveled out to cracked earth, Ryo's pace picked up into a trot. He felt _alive_, even if he was in a digital world. Once upon a time he believed that the Digital World was far less important than the real world, that everything he had done for the world was only part of a game, but now it no longer mattered.

"There's a thoroughfare near here," a rough voice offered, cutting into Ryo's reverie like a knife. The sense of elation left him as he recalled how he got here. "A spiral staircase that leads to the other layers of this Digital World."

Ryo sighed and turned to look at the cybernetic dragon that had been following him silently since they entered the portal. He had been doing his best to forget the incident, and now Cyberdramon had to ruin it by _speaking_ to him. "Right. What am I going to do with you?"

Cyberdramon tilted his head ever so slightly at that, it was the only reaction Ryo would get out of him.

"I can't very well take you back to... back there," Ryo gestured abstractly in the direction of the now nonexistant digital gate. "I remember what you used to be, you've always been too dangerous. Even in this weakened form you're too dangerous. You said we were partners, but I never asked for this. And where's Monodramon?"

With a snort of disgust at the last question, Cyberdramon walked ahead towards the staircase. "Does it matter? We are one now."

"Yes, it matters! It's not a real partnership if I can't understand anything about you," Ryo shouted after the dragon. He rolled his eyes when Cyberdramon responded only with a short growl and ran after the digimon. "Why won't you tell me anything, Millenniumon?!"

That did it. Cyberdramon stopped immediately in his tracks and turned to face the boy. "I have said everything worth saying. That is enough. Do not call me that anymore."

Ryo wasn't ready to dismiss the issue if the set in his jaw was any indication. He was likely to push the issue until he got an answer. The boy was so ready to snap at his partner again that Cyberdramon was hard pressed to keep from laughing. As much as Ryo may try to deny it, they _were_ two sides of the same coin.

"Dear boy, you are the only random element that makes the impossible possible. Were I attacking anyone else, I would not have stopped. That is all I will say for now."

With that, Cyberdramon returned to the trail.

.~*~.

The next layer was a heavily wooded area that populated by the oddest little glowing creatures. They weren't digimon, but they certainly didn't originate from Earth either. A few of them peeked curiously at the intruders, then flew away with a few trills directed at their hidden companions.

Ryo honestly didn't know what to do about Cyberdramon. Unlike both Millenniumon and Monodramon, Cyberdramon was strangely taciturn. He had Millenniumon's voice but Monodramon's level of informal Japanese. Cyberdramon had Millenniumon's unfocused rage, but only a small percentage of the power. And there was that weird thing that happened after Cyberdramon had attacked him. It was creepy and gross, but probably just what Millenniumon would have done under the same circumstances, especially now that Millenniumon's little secret was revealed. It suggested that he had some amount of control over Cyberdramon's temper, but not enough to prevent serious damage. It wasn't that he _wanted_ to control the partner he was stuck with, it was just that Cyberdramon was too dangerous to be allowed to go unchecked. It was such a frustrating dilemma.

It was a matter of time before they approached what looked to be an abandoned settlement. The homes were small with roofs barely up to Ryo's shoulders. Briefly he wondered whether the denizens would return at all, but hoped they wouldn't mind if he and his partner rested for a while. The grass had been trampled recently, so they probably were not gone for long.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Cyberdramon muttered. His claws flexed in anticipation for a fight he could feel was coming. The place was far too quiet for his tastes. "Be on your guard."

Ryo could feel it too, though it was a much less distinct sensation. Someone was watching them, though from where he couldn't quite tell yet. It might have been the same creature that crushed the grass in the area with broad, vaguely human-like feet.

They came then, swarming from the trees and the seemingly abandoned houses. Each of them swung rough-hewn clubs in their gnarled little hands. It took Ryo a moment to recognize them as goblimon before he barely sidestepped a hearty swipe at his legs. The greater majority of them were attacking Cyberdramon, but several soon surrounded the boy.

"Hey kid, are you a tamer," one of the larger goblimon asked, grinning fiendishly. He tapped the broad end of the club against his free hand in a rather menacing gesture.

Blinking blankly at that, Ryo could only nod his head. He had no idea what the goblimon gang wanted, but it was really weird for them to attack for no good reason. He then flinched as a smaller goblimon gave a hyena-like laugh and barked out to the group attacking Cyberdramon. "He's a tamer! Tamer! Kill the tamer's digimon and we can go to the real world!"

A resounding war cry emerged from the gang, and with new vigor they attacked the great black dragon. The three goblimon that surrounded Ryo gave broad, broken-toothed grins and closed in.

Driven purely by instinct, Ryo dodged the first club aimed for his right ankle, then pounced forward to throw the club's owner off guard. The second roared before attacking, leaving Ryo enough time to hook his arm around the first goblimon's neck and use the warty little digimon as a shield. The club fell with a sickening wet crack on the first goblimon's skull, and Ryo threw that goblimon at the second before grabbing the club to throw at the third goblimon attempting to barrel into him. His trajectory was miscalculated and the club landed before the goblimon's feet, but it was an unexpected obstacle and the third goblimon tripped over it.

With three of them more or less dazed, Ryo yanked out his pocket knife and unfolded the was a weapon at least, and bit into digital flesh better than anything else he wasn't allowed rest, however, and a fourth goblimon tackled him from behind. With a surprised yelp he fell, then attempted to buck the heavy goblimon off his back. This did no good, and the second goblimon was soon approaching to help. With a growl, Ryo rolled instead and sliced at the second goblimon. It gave an inhuman howl as it clutched its leg. In any other situation, the one-footed hop the goblimon was doing would have been funny, but now he had other matters to deal with.

Growling in frustration, the goblimon still latched onto his back attempted to gouge his eyes out with jagged nails black with grime. Ryo was just as frustrated and stabbed at the goblimon's grasping hand with his knife. That goblimon gave a howl of pain even more piercing and inhuman than the other that felt the bite of his blade. That goblimon let go of him, allowing him to rise and settle into a defensive position.

And then...

"Let's go," cried the goblimon that had been slashed at in the leg. It had a noticiable limp that was even more pronounced when it tried to run. "They're too strong for us! It's not worth it!"

The other three that attacked Ryo barked their agreement and retreated with various wounds clutched close. It took Ryo a moment to realize that their companions were long absent.

"Magnificent," Cyberdramon said with the tiniest of smiles tugging at the corners of his mouth. "You fight well without the help of a digimon."

Ryo didn't bother to respond, taking the time instead to fold the blade of his knife back in place and tuck it into his pocket. The thrill he felt during a good battle was more enhanced with the knowledge that he had fought without help. It was odd, kind of pleasant too. But he had the skin-crawling feeling that Cyberdramon hadn't been as merciful with the goblimon gang as he had been. But where were the data bits that would have been floating around had they been deleted?

"Did you enjoy it?"

What a loaded question that was, Ryo thought. He didn't want to consider himself the same as Millenniumon, but he had to admit that he did enjoy the thrill of fending for himself. Nothing mattered but the surge of the moment. Nothing mattered but trying to survive. Simply, nothing else mattered at all. The rush of endorphins and adrenaline was incredibly addictive. What else could he give than the truth? "Yes. I did."

There was a moment of silence as Cyberdramon regarded him. Something insubstantial relaxed in the dragon's posture, as if that was exactly the answer he wanted. Then, much to the surprise of both, there was a bright glow that appeared between them. It faded, and hovering where the light was brightest was a blue D-ark with a silver ring circling the display screen. Ryo stared in utter astonishment as the D-ark drifted into his outstretched hand.

He had never had a digimon or digivice to call his own. Even when he was defending the past with Monodramon, he had to borrow someone else's D-ark. Here he was now with something he could finally call his own. And, as he looked around he realized something that seemed to have always nagged at the back of his mind even before he had helped Agumon so long ago.

He had never really felt at home anywhere on Earth. Cities were too crowded and polluted, and even parks has an artificial, manicured air to them. He was always more alone there than he was in any of the digital worlds. There was no way to test his survival skills back there. But, as he took in the digital skies, he realized what he had been missing the whole time. He was too wild at heart to ever be truly comfortable in the restraints of Earth's modern civilizations.

It didn't matter anymore if he became another piece of data. He was home. And, in a way, he knew exactly what his partner had been going through. Their mutual frustrations with their worlds, their need for independence and release through physical exertion... It was what made them partners even when Gennai and the Holy Beasts of the other universe fought to hide that bond from Ryo. But they weren't governing Ryo's actions anymore.

With a sudden grin, Ryo turned and patted Cyberdramon's claw lightly on his way towards the river. "Well, let's go and find ourselves a decent home. Then after we rest we'll go out and find enemies that can actually survive your attacks."

Cyberdramon remained still for a moment. Deep within, a balm seemed to have spread over the vast psychological wounds that had existed since Millenniumon had first hatched. He recalled the loneliness of hatching and knowing he was missing something, only to realize that this something should have been his partner and was trying to kill him instead. But that was over now. The current situation certainly wouldn't last, but for the moment it was the first time Millenniumon had ever felt true peace. And for that Monodramon was thankful.

_You know, I still have some of my old powers,_ Millenniumon thought to the little dragon whose body he shared. Oddly enough, he didn't mind Monodramon's presence so much anymore. _If Ryo is to fight as he did earlier, he would need something to protect from wayward teeth and claws._

_"Hrm. Do any materialization tricks when he's asleep. I doubt he knows you can pull crap like that. And I hope you realize that he's only being this nice about you because he's still high on endorphins." _

_As much as I loathe the thought, very well. ... He **was** magnificent back there, wasn't he..._

_"Millenniumon, what did I tell you about those disturbing mental images?"_

_Spoilsport._

Ryo's voice cut into their mental banter. "Hey, Cyberdramon, are you coming or not?"

* * *


End file.
